French friendship proverbs - Proverbes sur l'amitié
Here are the most common French proverbs about frienship.
Enjoy!
Proverbe / Proverb | Literal translation | Idiomatic translation / English equivalent | Meaning |
---|---|---|---|
Offrir l'amitié à qui veut l'amour, c'est donner du pain à qui meurt de soif. | To offer friendship to someone who wants love is like giving food to someone who’s dying of thirst | Nothing is crueler than unrequited love | Nothing is crueler than unrequited love |
C'est dans le besoin qu'on reconnaît ses vrais amis. | It is when in need that one recognize his real friends | A friend in need is a friend indeed | A friend who helps out when we are in trouble is a true friend (unlike others who disappear when trouble arises) |
Les bons comptes font les bons amis. | Good accounting makes for good friends | Short reckonings make long friends | If you borrow something from a friend, pay it back as soon as possible so that the two of you remain in good terms. |
On n'est jamais mieux servi que par soi-même | You are never better served than by yourself | Don’t count too much on others. Help yourself! | If you want things to be done the way you want, you'd better do it yourself. |
Ami de tous, ami de personne. | everybody's friend is nobody's friend | everybody's friend is nobody's friend | 1.Friendship requires time
and intimacy 2. You should beware of overly nice people |
On n'est jamais trahi que par les siens. | We are always betrayed by ours | We are always betrayed by someone close to us. | We are always betrayed by someone close to us. |
Qui se ressemble s'assemble. | Those who resemble each other will get together | Birds of a feather (flock together) | People with similar tastes and distates get along well |
Il vaut mieux être seul que mal accompagné. | One better be alone than in bad company. | Loneliness is better than bad company. | Sometimes it is better to be alone than with people you do not like. |
Qui aime bien châtie bien | He / She who loves well punishes well | Spare the rod, spoil the child. | People who love you, may be hard on you but it is for your own good. |
L'union fait la force. | Unity is power. | United we stand, divided we fall. | You are stronger in a group than alone |
Plus on est de fous, plus on rit | The more there are insane people, the more one laughs | The more, the merrier | The more fun-loving people get together, the more fun they have |